Pages

On 5e Backgrounds: Torturer

Torturer
You enact the political agendas of the courts. People come and take their punishments. Sometimes they are released, sometimes they are killed. Such is your life. You know how to amputate limbs without pain and how to cause tremendous pain without damage and what the best ways to kill someone both painlessly and full of pain.

Feature:
If you have the opportunity to torture someone, you gain advantage on intimidation rolls. You can also hire your services out along the road as a torturer or executioner, earning 1d6 + 2 gold a day, along with the enmity of the population.

Suggested Characteristics
You take life, amputate limbs, and cause pain. The rightness or wrongness of it is always in the minds of men. You've seen and heard every pleading lie and horrific truth. Your job is a job that must be done. If it were not you, it would be someone else.

d8 Personality

I feel the pain I cause others intently and it brings me to tears. But without practicing my craft I fall into despair.

I know everyone carries sin in their hearts and I use their bodies to free them of it.

I have an eidetic memory, though I get lost inside it sometime.

I am a sadist and derive euphoria from hurting people, though I am smart enough to keep this secret.

I know the knowledge I possess about the body gives me the duty to fulfill. I don't enjoy my job but it is necessary.

I love women and often have difficulty choosing between them, though I always seek their company.

I love people, but I love drugs more.

I've lived most of my life in a tower and understand very little of how things work in the wider world.

d6 Ideal

Sadism: I love causing pain and suffering. (Evil)

Masochism: I suffer for every person I hurt and I love suffering. (Unaligned)

Order: For law to flourish, pain must purify sin. (Lawful)

Apathy: Right and wrong are just matters of perspective (Chaos)

Freedom: I seek to free myself from the bonds of my guild. (Chaos)

Duty: I do what I have to, because I must. (Lawful)

d6 Bond

You bear a holy artifact and may be the messiah of a religion.

You fell in love with one of your charges and were banished from your guild.

You travel with a companion who is your age or younger who may or may not be your mother or grandmother.

Your sister is a witch and she wants to kill you.

You are secretly the heir to the throne.

Your sword is one of a kind with a unique name.

d6 Flaw

I always like to present things so that they appear favorable for me, even if it involves lying, which I never do.

There is a trail of jilted women left in your wake.

You once angered a magical ogre who seeks you for revenge.

You carry an artifact that you are unaware is anything other than a trinket that many different factions seek.

You know who is worthy and who is not of judgement and it is your job to enforce that judgement.

You carry a mark that identifies you as a torturer even when you don't wear the garb and people react appropriately.

OSR Package

Running a B/X game? Give these advantages instead of proficiency and features. You can
also give these bonuses if running a 5e game using 3d6 for character generation.